Ship of Death
by topgun308
Summary: A Covenant Cruiser discovers it has picked up a stowaway, and one of the deadliest in the universe to boot.


**I don't own anything that's not mine.**

"All ships, call in and prepare to enter the Void!" roared the Fleet Master, a tall, imposing Sangheili.

Another planet successfully cleaned of Human presence, he congratulated himself. He was proud of how quick and efficient this assault was. The resistance was weak as usual, friendly casualties were minimal, even amongst the Uggnoy (not that he really cared). There were no signs of any Demons, and thus the fleet can continue on in the search for the Human base known as Reach as quickly as possible.

Several voices chattered their confirmations over the intercoms.

"Then let's go. I'm sure our blades are eager for more blood. Engage!"

The Space in front of the flagship, the Heavy Cruiser _Into the Great Beyond_, opened up into a portal which promptly sucked the ship in.

"Alright brothers, settle down, it's a long way to the next planet. So sit back and find something to amuse yourselves for a few days," He said.

The bridge slowly cleared out except for the Fleet Master, the Ship Master, and a few technicians.

The Fleet Master casually strolled the bridge, walking up to a technician, "I want a personnel count, to make sure we didn't just leave anyone behind".

"As you wish," the technician replied, tapping on the control panel in front of him, "initiating a scan".

They watched the screen intently as a graph slowly filled itself out.

"There you go Fleet Master, all personnel accounted for".

He nodded as he turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," he asked, returning his gaze to the screen, "What is that?"

He pointed at a small glyph on the screen.

"That... well I don't know what that is," replied the technician, "I've never seen a reading like that before".

"Then someone, somewhere on our ships is a stowaway," he said, "Rerun that scan and find which ship they're on and what they are".

"As you wish..." replied the technician, tapping at the panel, "...it's gone".

"What? Impossible, how can it be gone? Unless the scanner has become faulty, which, being of Fore Runner origin is most certainly not the case. Run the scan several times in a row, and compare the results".

The technician tapped the control panel for several minutes, as graphs and scans slowly compiled up.

"That is most perplexing," said the technician, "the glitch did not appear again in any of the scans. And what is also troubling is that our crew count has dropped".

"What?!" he asked, stunned, "How?"

"I don't know," said the technician, "the scan indicated two Kig-Yar were in Storage Bay 13 in the first two sweeps, but in the other three, they were gone, completely disappeared".

That didn't make any sense at all. He shook his head, "Any signs of explosive activity? They might have done something stupid for all we know".

"Nope, if that was the case, the entire ship would know by now".

"True... alright, organize a team to investigate, and bring me the report".

"As you wish".

...

"Alright, here are your orders," barked the Major to his Uggnoy subordinates, "we have been asked to make a sweep of Storage Bay 13 for anything suspicious".

The Uggnoy looked at each other in puzzled fashions, but never the less complied and followed the Major down the corridors.

They finally arrived at the Storage area.

"Now, Bay 13 is what we're looking for," said the Major, "so let's keep moving!"

They came to a big, closed door marked with the Covenant equivalent to 13. The Major pulled a lever at the side of the entrance, and the door made a soft hiss as they slid open. The corridors ahead were dark, so the Major flicked a second switch. The rows of lights flickered to life in sequence.

"Spread out," said the Major, "and report anything that moves or looks suspicious".

The Uggnoy nodded and slowly dispersed into the Bay.

He stalked the maze of enormous shelves and crates like a hunter, alert for anything amiss.

After several laps of the Bay, he was satisfied that there was nothing. "Alright you lot, there's nothing here. Let's go!"

Silence answered his call.

"Did you hear me? I said let's GO!"

Still silence.

Dumb good-for-nothings, he thought angrily.

He sprinted back across the maze searching for his squad. Where did they possibly go?

"Don't play games with me, you dumb louts! Get out here now so we can- hang on, what's that?"

He caught his attention on a figure in the shadows. He strained to make it out.

It seemed to be a statue made of rock, in a pose, pointing at the roof.

What the heck is THAT? He thought, his curiosity getting the better of him. He walked up closer and saw that the statue closely resembled a human, but with wings.

"How did THIS get here?" He mused. There were no reports of anyone plundering anything. Anything of Human origin was always destroyed as heresy, so why would they keep this?

The lights suddenly flickered.

"What the..."

Then they went out.

"Wha-"

Then everything went ominously silent.

...

"Well, what did the search squad find?" asked the Fleet Master.

"Um, you aren't going to believe this, but we just lost contact, as well as all power to the lighting in Bay 13," the technician replied.

This was getting weird.

The Ship Master walked over, "What's going on?"

"There is something in Bay 13 that is somehow avoiding our scanners and just wiped out a squad," replied the Fleet Master.

"...What?" the Ship Master asked, highly puzzled, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," answered the technician, "Take a look for yourself".

The Ship Master leaned over to watch the screen. Several blips on the tracker representing the squad dispersed into the map of Bay 13. After several minutes, one disappeared. Then another, then they started going more quickly. Soon, a single blip was left, which disappeared after a short while as well.

"Is there any audio?" asked the Ship Master.

"Let me get to that," said the technician, tapping the controls, "There we go".

The clip plays again. The sound of footsteps and the Major are heard clearly, but little else. When the first blip goes, there is a slight shuffling sound and very short squeals from what sounds like the Uggnoy. When the other blips start going out, no sound is heard at all, save for the sound of the Major's heavy footsteps. The dialogue of the Major calling for his squad echoes ominously. Then he too goes silent.

"Right, put the ship on full alert. Whatever it is, it is incredibly stealthy and deadly. Only a Demon could be able to pull off a stunt like this," muttered the Fleet Master.

His voice seemed...nervous, uncharacteristic for him.

The technician nodded and pulled up a microphone, "Attention all crew, attention all crew! Battle stations, please. I repeat, everyone to battle stations!"

Another technician pushed the big red button on the centre console and the alarms went off.

The entire ship went into a frenzy to get ready. Many were confused as to why Battle stations had been called.

The Fleet Master took the microphone, "This is the Fleet Master! There is currently an intruder somewhere in Storage Bay 13. I want EVERYONE to search the entire area from top to bottom and capture it! Alive if possible, Dead...just as good".

He strolled off the bridge and made a b-line to join his men in the hunt.

As he walked briskly, he grabbed his Energy Sword from his belt, holding the inactivated hilt rather tightly.

All around him, Sangheili, Kig-Yar, Uggnoy and even the odd Mgalekgolo pair swarmed about, all heading for Bay 13.

As he entered the Storage area, he noticed all the troops cramming in to try and have a look.

This will not do.

"OI!" He roared.

Everyone fell silent and turned their attention on him.

"Alright, let's get some order here! Everyone organize yourselves according to your battalion! Let's MOVE!"

Everyone bustled about to try and identify their commanding officer.

He walked about, searching for any possible signs of what they were up against. A Demon's active camouflage usually had a lifespan of only half an hour at most, and they had been in the Void for quite some time now. There is no way it could've POSSIBLY maintained invisibility for this long.

There must be something new here. Perhaps the Humans have been underestimated. No, that's impossible. Demons are the only Humans who deserve ANY respect, regardless of in battle or not. And being that a Demon can't be here, what could it be?

He stood before the army assembled in front of him.

"Alright, 356th Battalion, you're on point! Sweep the Bay and see what you can find".

"Yes Sir!" they shouted, and swarmed into the bay.

Everyone watched in silent anticipation as the members of the 356th crisscrossed the corridors.

After several minutes, the CO emerged.

"Fleet Master, there's nothing there. We've checked everywhere".

"Alright then, start searching the other Bays. 356th, keep sweeping bay 13, just in case. 487th Battalion, start checking Bay 1; 134th, you have the second bay; 566th, you have the third, and so on. Are we clear?"  
>"YES SIR!" thundered the reply.<p>

"Then get to work!"

Everyone scattered to their designated spots, searching about like the possessed.

Finally, another CO walked up to the Fleet Master, "Sir, what exactly are we looking for?"

"To be honest, I don't know. But whatever it is, it is very stealthy, so be ultra-thorough in your search. It could be anything, so be on your guard".

For what seemed like an eternity, they all swarmed the area in a search that eventually shifted to other areas of the ship, but alas, the assailant apparently disappeared without a trace.

"Sir," a technician said to the Fleet Master, "I'm beginning to think this is a wild goose chase".

"I'm SURE there is something here!" He said, "Entire squads don't just DISAPPEAR without good reason. Something is on this ship and it is hiding somewhere. We just need to search harder. In fact, let's head back to the bridge and make anoth-"

He was abruptly interrupted when the entire ship jerked violently.

"What the..."

"Sir, it appears we are no longer in the Void!" said the technician.

"Thank you, Ship Master Obvious," he said sarcastically, "Your observations are brilliant as always. So why did we just drop out of the Void?"

"The only way one could do that is by..." the technician trailed off.

The Fleet Master caught on, "The intruder is on the bridge!"

He scrambled back towards the control centre.

The doors split open, and he barged in.

The Bridge was empty.

"What...?" he was utterly perplexed.

He looked around. There was nothing here. Hang on, what's that?

His attention caught on a figure in the corner. It was a statue, made of rock. It looked like a Human, but with wings. It had its arms over its face like it was crying or something.

His pulse rapidly accelerated.

"What in the Prophet's name are you?" he asked softly. He activated his Sword as he approached.

The technician and several other Sangheili burst in behind him, watching him closely.

He leaned in close to the statue, studying its smaller details.

Is THIS the intruder? He wondered. Impossible, it can't be. Stone doesn't move, let alone kill you.

The other Sangheili dispersed to put the ship back in the Void.

He mumbled softly to himself as he walked off.

He turned for another glance.

The statue was gone.

A shiver reverberated up and down his spine.

For the first time in years, he felt an emotion almost NEVER felt by Sangheili: fear.

He glanced around for the statue, and found it standing over the technician with its arms raised and face contorted in an angry glare. The technician had his back turned, and didn't notice it was there.

"Um, turn around," He said, half-choked by his shocked expression.

The technician turned and went white with horror.

"Holy Mother of the Arbiter!" he spluttered as he backed away.

All the others raised their weapons and opened fire on the statue. The plasma shots didn't appear to even graze it.

What just happened? The Fleet Master thought furiously. He turns his back and it suddenly moves? Is that how it works? Something is horribly, HORRIBLY wrong with this.

"Fleet Master!" a Major bursts onto the bridge, "We found something!"

...

"What is it?" asks the Fleet Master.

They were now standing around a tall, blue box, resembling a device the humans call a "phone booth" or something like that.

"We don't know what it is, but we found it in Bay 6," replied the Major, "Surrounded by strange statues".

His blood ran cold, "St-statues?"

"Yes, is something wrong?"

"Yes, the statues are alive!" He yelled, "I know that sounds stupid now, but they move when you're not looking!"

The Major looked at him in a puzzled fashion, "I don't follow".

"Look, how many statues are there?" He asked.

"Three. All humanoid with wings".

Then that makes FOUR in total...He thought, I think we're going to be making the Great Journey sooner than anticipated.

...

"Alright, I want you to scan EVERY single file, Covenant or captured from the Humans alike, we need to see if we can find something on these creatures!" He barked.

The technicians scrambled at their control panels.

"Major, I want your squad to watch those statues like predators. DO NOT under ANY circumstances, take your eyes off them, clear?"

"Yes sir!" the Major replied.

"Come on brothers, let's get some results!" He urged.

They all searched the system like madmen, looking for something, ANYTHING, related to these monsters.

"What about this, sir?" asked a technician.

"No, that's a gargoyle, not what we're after. Keep looking!"

"What about this?" asked another. It brought up an image of a human in a monotone picture. "I think it's a short recording. There is another file here directly related to it, I believe. It looks like some sort of message, sir".

"Well then, let's see what it says!"

The technician pressed a button and the clip began.

A human sat down on a chair, staring at the screen.

"Who is he, some sort of human professor?"

"_Yep, that's me_".

He stared at the screen, "Did you just...?"

"_Yes, I did_".

Whoa, this is strange.

"_Yep, and this_".

He blinked in surprise, "Can he really hear us?"

"No, it's just a recording, see?" replied a technician, "There's a script right here in English, and He says exactly that, all those 'yeps' right up to-"

"_Are you gonna read out the whole thing_?" the human asked.

"...that," the technician finished.

"Who IS he?" asked the Fleet Master.

"_I'm a time-traveller_," the human seemed to reply, "_or I WAS. I'm stuck in 1969_".

A woman moved into the frame, "_WE'RE stuck. All of space and time, he promised me. Now I'm stuck in a shop and I have to support HIM_".

"_Martha!_" the man hissed.

"_Sorry,_" she said, moving out of the frame.

"I don't understand, is he actually a time traveller?" the Fleet Master wondered out loud.

"_Quite possibly_," the man replied.

"1969 he said, correct? That's a long time ago..."

"'_Fraid so_".

"What I don't understand is how he knows what we're saying 600 years before we do".

"_593_," the man corrected.

"Now that's just complete rubbish, how did he predict _that_?" He demanded, getting quite confused. Human behaviour was most perplexing at times.

"_Eh, people don't understand time. It's not what you think it is_".

"Well then, what is it?"

"_Complicated,_" came the simple reply.

"How complicated?" He asked.

"_VERY complicated_".

"Try me," He said.

"_Eh..._ _People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly... timey-wimey... stuff,_" the man explained.

"Is that so? Interesting, considering you can't even hear me," He said.

"_Well, I CAN hear you_".

"But, that's impossible!"

"_Well, not HEAR you exactly, but I know what you're going to say_".

"How?"

"_Look to your left,_" the man said softly.

The technician was busy typing on the script of the clip.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Writing in your responses for future reference," replied the technician.

"Why?"

"_I've got a finished copy of the transcript, it's on my autocue,_" said the man.

"How?!"

"_I told you, I'm a time-traveller. I got it in the future_," he replied.

"Okay, now that's just perplexing..." He said, shaking his head.

"_Look, what matters is that we can communicate! We've got big problems now!_" the man explained, "_They've taken the blue box, haven't they? The angels have the phone box_".

"No, WE have the box, and what, do you mean the statues? What are they?"

"_Creatures from another world_".

"But they're made of stone!" He exclaimed.

"_Only when you see them_".

"Yeah, I gathered that".

" _The lonely assassins, they used to be called. No-one knows where they came from. They're as old as the universe, or very nearly. They've survived this long as they have the most perfect defence system ever evolved," _he explained, "_They are quantum-locked. They don't exist when being observed. The moment they're seen by any other living creature they freeze into rock. No choice, it's a fact of their biology. In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone," _his voice went lower and more threatening, "_And you can't kill a stone. Course, a stone can't kill you either. But then you turn your head away, then you blink, and oh, yes it can!"_

He felt a shiver run up his spine.

"_That's why they cover their eyes. They're not weeping, they can't risk looking at each other. Their greatest asset is their greatest curse. They can never be seen. The loneliest creatures in the universe. And I'm sorry, I am very, very sorry, it's up to you now"._

"Well, what do we do?" He asked.

"_The blue box! It's my time machine. There is a world of energy in there that they could feast on forever, but the damage they'll do will switch off the sun! You HAVE to send it back to me!_"

"How do we do that? We can't even get inside!"

The man sat back with a concerned look on his face, "... _And that's it, I'm afraid. There's no more from you on the transcript, that's all I've got. I dunno what stopped you talking, but I can guess. They're coming. The angels are coming for you. But listen, your life could depend on this. Don't blink! Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe! Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink! Good luck!"_

With that, the transmission ended.

"Did anyone make ANY of that out?" He asked. How is it that the HUMANS of all species have discovered the secret to time travel...

They didn't respond, instead fixated on something in the doorway. He turned follow their gaze.

An Angel had appeared in the doorway, and was pointing at the roof.

"Don't worry, because there are several of us, we can blink if we need to," He said, "Just don't blink at the same time or we're in trouble.

The lights flickered.

That's odd, why are the lights...He put the pieces together. Oh no, don't tell me they can do that, even in rock form!?

This is very freaky, it must be conscious in rock form as well, it can possibly still see whatever's in its line of sight, or even ALL its senses are still active, but it just can't physically move.

"Fleet Master, it appears to be somehow trying to switch the lights off!" said a technician.

"I can see that!" He growled.

"What do we do?"

He thought furiously, What else makes light? The Energy Swords, or even the weapons in general.

Suddenly the lights _behind_ the Angel died.

"Oh, that's not good," He muttered, "It's trying to trap us and pick us off!"

"What do we do? We can't kill them in any way!"

"We need something that can look at them for eternity. Have we got a large enough mirror on board?"

"There should be one in Storage Bay 9," said the technician.

The lights flickered again, then went out, and came back.

"HOLY...!" roared the Major.

The Angel was leaning inches from his face with a snarl.

He backed away as quickly as possible.

"I don't like this! WE are being the hunted here, and it's a very nasty change of setting!" he yelled.

"Don't worry, just don't take your eyes off it," said the Fleet Master, "Just sit tight, I'm going to find a way to sort this out".

He walked out the door and up the hallway, activating his Energy Sword.

...

It appeared that many lights had been switched off, and the corridors were ominously empty. He raced across the ship as fast as he could. The only light left was his Energy Sword.

"I have a feeling that those three angels went and wiped everyone out under the cover of darkness," He said warily.

"Fleet Master!" a voice called out, "Over here, Flee-"

There was a sickening grinding sound.

He shook his head as he wandered closer.

"D-Don't worry," came the voice, but now in a monotone drawl, "I-I'm okay".

"Are you sure? You don't SOUND okay to me".

"It's all good. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about".

In the darkness beyond the glow of his Sword, he couldn't make anything out.

He turned about, to make sure they weren't behind him.

"Just, don't worry... I'm fine..." the voice faded out.

"Fleet Master!" the voice of the technician blared into his headset, "We have a new problem!"

"What's that?"

"I quickly ran another scan, and you won't BELIEVE what's come up on the scanner!"

"What is it?"

"Well, all around the Storage Area, nearby to where you are, there is a big blot that is covering EVERYTHING. Can you see anything?"

"No, it's pitch black, I can't make anything out".

"I hope those idiots didn't open the crate I think they did..."

"What? What crate? What was in it?"

"Well, several Special Ops soldiers had been able to catch a big portion of... well, _killer air_".

"Killer air? What in the Prophet's name is that?"

"We don't know either, but anytime someone walked through it, they were immediately chewed up by the air. Nothing left but bones and shredded armour. So we caught a dose of it in a crate and wanted to take it for study".

"And I was not informed of this because...?"

"Well...it was more of a side project for us really...Fleet Master, I suggest you come back, the cloud is closing in on you".

"Right, I'm on my way".

This vessel has become a _death ship_! He thought, there is NO way we can survive now. Which idiot came up with _that_ idea?!

Between the Angels and the killer air, this is not worth saving. But then again, that strange human needs his time machine, the blue box in Storage Bay 6...

Dammit! What to do...

He felt something under his foot. He bent down to pick it up. It was a small object, resembling a key, of human origin.

_What could this go to?_ He wondered, _I've never seen this before, maybe it goes to the blue box?_

He had to try.

He flicked a button on his gauntlet, and his shields shimmered into being, before going transparent.

"Let's do this," he said softly. And he started sprinting as fast as possible.

His shields flashed as he raced through, slowly being drained under the effort to protect him.

He searched furiously for the box.

He made out a tall, square figure. There it is!

His shields were close to breaking point as he scrambled to grip the small key in his hand and get it in the lock.

There was a loud click, to his relief. He opened the door and rushed in, locking it again.

He saw down against the door, breathing heavily.

"That was TOO close," he muttered.

"Fleet Master, where are you?" screeched the technician over the radio, "All the angels have been detected moving towards your position! Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," He replied.

He looked about. The box was much, MUCH bigger in the inside than it looked from the outside.

And very non-human to boot. Humans never set up their machines like this, with that strangely designed centre console. How did they pull this off?

"Hang on, the scanners have suddenly become full of static," said the technician, "I think they're aware of me watching them, and-"

"And what?" he asked.

No response but static.

Suddenly, the box jerked violently to the side, throwing him about.

"What the..."

Then it jerked the other way, throwing him across into the console.

"Obviously, I'm going to have a crash course in operating this thing".

He stared at the control panel carefully, with dozens of switches, knobs and dials.

Let's see what happens when we do this, he thought as he turned a dial.

Nothing.

Another jerk threw him from the console.

He got up as it rocked again. He randomly turned another dial on his way past.

The box kept rocking violently as he kept flicking switches, waiting for something to happen.

Finally, he decided to press the big red button.

The box made a low grinding sound as it whirred to life.

Let's see what that does, he thought.

Slowly, the box started disappearing.

To his horror, the box seemed to be leaving without him. He could make out the Angels starting to appear around him.

Finally, the box was completely gone, leaving just him and the Angels.

He glanced around. They all had angry glares on their faces, standing in a square with their arms stretched towards each other.

He noticed their gazes.

He stepped out of the square.

The strange human mentioned something that they can't even look at each other, which is exactly what they were doing.

He took a moment to take it all in. He did it. He had beaten the monsters worse than Demons!

He glanced around. It wasn't dark anymore as some of the lights came back on. He could see piles of destroyed armour and bones, painting a chilling scene, like a fierce battle raged here. The empty hulk of a large Mgalekgolo suit sat limp and lifeless in the centre.

As he started to walk about, he noticed the ship was completely empty now.

The entire crew of several thousand...gone forever. Surely someone on the bridge is still alive.

...

The doors to the bridge opened up, and he walked inside.

It was empty. Computer screens flickered as they were, with no one to operate them.

No-one...

The Fleet Master had never felt so lonely before. Although he had miraculously defeated the Angels, he now had nothing left.

...

He wandered into the assembly area, where he heard a faint humming noise. He strained to find the source of the noise.

Suddenly, the faint outline appeared, then the object fully materialized. The blue box was back.

The doors opened and a human stepped out.

THE human from the video, he recognized.

The human looked around, setting his gaze on the Sangheili.

"Oh, hello!" he said cheerfully, "I'm the Doctor".

"The Doctor?" asked the Fleet Master, "I presume I was successfully able to get your time machine back to you?"

"I'm sorry?" asked the Doctor.

"Your time machine was stuck on our ship with the Angels just a short while ago, and then I was able to send it on its way".

"Oh, right! I was stuck in 1969 on Earth and then the TARDIS managed to find its way back. I remember now! How were things on your end during that?"

"I'm afraid my entire crew perished," He said solemnly.

"Oh...I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. So, why don't we take a look around? I haven't seen a vessel like this in a long time," beckoned the Doctor.

"I would give you a tour, but we must avoid the Storage area. The air there is deadly".

"The air, huh? What makes it deadly?" asked the Doctor, his curiosity piqued.

"It eats you alive".

The Doctor looked at him, "Really? Now that doesn't sound good at all...no that can't be possible. The Storage Area, is it unusually dark?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure it is".

"Oh, if my theory is correct, then you have a _very_ serious problem, now," the Doctor said, concerned.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Follow me," the Doctor beckoned, "And let's identify this little problem of yours".

They arrived in the Storage Area, and looked around.

The Doctor shifted his gaze to the Sangheili, "Do you have anything edible on you? Like meat or anything like that?"

"No," He shook his head, "All food supplies are held in Storage Bay 10".

"Right," the Doctor nodded, "Lead the way, but whatever you do, watch your step and _stay out of the shadows_".

They carefully paced their way towards Bay 10, where the Fleet Master opened up a crate and produced a small slab of meat, of unknown origin, then handed it to the Doctor.

With the meat in one hand, and his sonic screwdriver in the other, he scanned around, checking every shadow, every nook and every cranny. Eventually, he perked up, "We've got a live one!"

"I don't get it," the Fleet Master frowned, "I don't see anything".

"You, my friend, have an infestation, and one that shouldn't be here on a vessel like this at all," explained the Doctor.

"I'm sorry?"

The Doctor was ominously silent, then said in a low voice, "You know how many creatures have a fear of the dark?"

"Sangheili have no such problems. Fear of the dark is irrational and pointless," He said.

"Well, I have news for you, the fear is real. They're not scared of the dark itself, but what's in it".

"... Go on".

"Observe," the Doctor threw the slab of meat across the floor. Suddenly, there was a sickening grinding sound, and the slab was reduced to a single bone before it even hit the floor.

The Fleet Master's eyes widened in shock, "What the...! What was that?!"

"_Vashta Narada,_" the Doctor answered simply.

"...What?" He asked, confused.

"Vashta Narada," the Doctor repeated, "It's what's in the dark. They're microscopic organisms that, when there's enough of them, they can pick your bones clean in the blink of an eye. And how they got on board your ship is beyond me. They usually inhabit forests and non-populated areas, usually feeding off carrion. But people DO disappear every once in a while..."

"So how do we get rid of them?" He asked.

"Oh, let's see. Daleks, shoot the eyestalk; Sontarans, back of the neck; Vashta Narada...run".

"Run? That seems quite dishonourable..."

"You can't fight the Vashta Narada, they're the piranhas of the air! You can only go backwards." said the Doctor.

"Well, is there anything we CAN do to save the ship?"

"Well, the best you can hope for is to try and seal the ship up and leave them where they are, but it's never been done," said the Doctor, scratching his head.

"On the contrary," He said, "That is exactly how they got on the ship. We somehow sealed them in a container and apparently forgot they were in there".

The Doctor was stunned, "How could you FORGET? They're one of the most dangerous species in the universe!"

"Well, I wasn't informed that they were there. My subordinates planned it to be their own little side project, and in the heat of searching for the Angels... they forgot about it".

The Doctor stared at him, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that. You were LOOKING for the Angels? With NO plan to bring them down whatsoever?!"

"We didn't know they were Angels at the time," He said defensively, "we thought they were...something else. Nor did we anticipate there was more than one of them".

"Well, it's too late now. I suggest you leave this ship, lock it up and let it drift for eternity. Between the Angels and the Vashta Narada, nothing will survive here anymore," said the Doctor, "Why don't we give you a lift back to your home world, eh? Where are you from?"

"Actually, I was looking for a planet called Reach. Have you heard of it?"

"Reach...yes, that name rings a bell. Haven't been there yet, I heard it's nice this time of year. What do you want to go there for?" the Doctor asked.

"Um... there are artifacts valuable to my religion hidden there, we were going to dig them up and investigate them".

"Uh-huh," mused the Doctor sceptically, "And is that why you chose a heavily armed battle cruiser as your mode of transportation?"

"Well, we were part of the escort for the mining ships," explained the Fleet Master, "and this is, or WAS our flagship".

"I see, but you'll find I have a better idea," said the Doctor.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Come with me," the Doctor beckoned, "We're going for a little journey. Won't take too long".

"I don't understand".

"Now that I have the TARDIS back, you can go straight home," said the Doctor, "Tell your people what happened here. Learn from this so you know what to do in the future".

"Very well, if you insist".

The Fleet Master squeezed his large frame through the door and into the TARDIS. The Doctor followed close behind, rushing through to the control panel.

"So how did you figure out how to operate her, anyway?" asked the Doctor.

"I don't know," He replied, "I just pressed buttons and hoped for the best".

"Funny, that usually what I do when I decide to move on," said the Doctor, "When I don't have a particular place in mind, I just press stuff and let the TARDIS drive itself".

Most fascinating...this human is unlike the others he'd ever seen. Humans can be so confusing...

The Doctor closed the doors behind him, and about a minute later, the TARDIS completely disappeared.

The Covenant Heavy Cruiser _Into the Great Beyond_ was now void of life, and empty.

...

**[Sanghelios]**

The TARDIS materialised in the centre of a courtyard. The guards nearby were startled initially, and formed a defensive circle around it. They got the shock of their lives when the doors opened and a figure stepped out.

"Is that..." began one.

"Fleet Master Seth 'Vorgonee?" finished a second.

"In the flesh," said the Fleet Master.

The guards were stunned, "Fleet Master, what happened to you? We lost contact with the _Into the Great Beyond_ and feared the worst. What happened?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," He said.

...

_Don't blink! Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink!_

_Good luck!_

...

**And there you go. It is complete. Please review and have a nice day.**


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